Haze
by 0utfoxed
Summary: The past never rests - Promises were made, and promises would be kept. But what happens when you return to the world of the living, only to find that everything you thought you knew has changed?
1. Closure

**HAZE**

Chapter 1  
_'Closure'_

* * *

He found her standing by the side of the road, shivering in the pouring rain. Despite her troubled condition, she greeted him in her usual, cheerful manner, or tried to, at least. It wasn't quite as convincing now that she was drenched in freezing cold water, looking down and out.

"H-hey Spikes. Long time, no see.." she said, looking up, rubbing her arms together in a vain attempt to keep warm.

"Yuffie? What are you doing out here?" Cloud asked, puzzled. There weren't many sane people who would be caught wandering around in the middle of nowhere during a storm like this one. At least, not without good reason..

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Yuffie replied.

"I was on my way back to Midgar," Cloud said. "You?"

"Oh, just wandering around, you know.." Yuffie replied, avoiding his questioning gaze. "Thought I'd stretch my legs, what with this wonderful weather we're having."

"Is that so?" Cloud asked, crossing his arms. It was evident that the young ninja did not wish to impart the real reason for her being out here. He hazarded a guess that she had run away from home again, but whatever the cause for her ill-timed perambulations, it was less important than getting out of this weather, he decided.

"So, uh..." Yuffie said. "Quite a coincidence, us running into each other out here, huh?"

"Right," Cloud replied. "Coincidence."

The look on his face told her that he was not convinced at all. She let out a nervous chuckle. "I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were stalking me or something.."

Cloud tilted his head slightly, indicating that it was time for her to give up the act and come clean.

She let out a ragged breath. "Okay... The truth is, I was coming down the hill. Saw you driving down the road. Thought I'd scoot over and say 'hi'."

A short pause.

"So... hi," Yuffie said.

Another pause.

"Well, I'll just be on my way now," she said, turning to leave. "Good seeing you again, Spikes. Take care."

Cloud sighed. He knew she was too proud and stubborn to ask first, even in her sorry state. He might as well make the first move.

"Don't be stupid, Yuffie," he said. "You'll catch your death of cold out here."

He patted the back of his motorcycle. Room enough for one passenger.

"Get on."

She turned away. The look on her face told him that she wanted to accept his offer, but something was holding her back from doing so.

"It's okay, really," Yuffie said, turning back to him. "I'll be fine."

Cloud shook his head, sighing again, then got off his bike. She was already a few paces ahead of him when he ran up to her and caught her by the arm. His grip was light, and she didn't resist it. When she turned around again, he began to notice the change that had come over his young friend. She looked glum, and more far more pale than usual. There was clearly something bothering her, but he decided not to press the matter. Not right away, at least.

"Come on," he said, the expression on his face softening as he tried to reason with her. "I'll take you home."

"I'm... not headed home," Yuffie said, still avoiding his gaze.

"Ran off again, huh?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah," Yuffie replied. "Kind of."

"Well, we can sort that out later," Cloud said. "Let's get out of this rain first, all right?"

Yuffie nodded, offering a weak smile as she looked up at him. "Great idea, Spikes," she said. "One of your best, in fact."

Cloud nodded as well, smiling back. "Okay, then," he said, guiding her back to his motorcycle. "Let's go."

Sitting down again, he revved up the engine. Yuffie got on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and they took off down the road, heading towards the city on the distant horizon.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

New story. Testing the waters to see what the reaction is, if any.

I had the idea to attempt something new. Updates are usually few and far between, because these chapters that I'm working on tend to spiral out of control in terms of length. So, I thought I'd try posting single chapters in multiple parts, which should allow me to update more frequently. It's easier to try this new format on a new story, rather than something like TTAOE or Crimson Fields, which almost by necessity have chapters that regularly grow much larger than I'd intended.

Anyway, the next part should be out soon. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned.

Addendum: I neglected to mention the time-frame in which this story takes place, which is some time after Dirge of Cerberus, i.e. at the tail end of the extended canon. I shan't be focusing on that so much, as this story will have more to do with events taking place before and after the original narrative.


	2. Closure, part 2

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we _nearly_ there yet?"

"Do you want to walk the rest of the way?"

"Um, no."

"We'll be there soon," Cloud said, glancing over his shoulder at his passenger. "Be patient."

He had to remind himself not to be churlish. He and Yuffie had barely exchanged a word since she had joined him. She had been quiet all night, and there was little in the way of her usual chatter, which had him worried. This wasn't just another one of her casual escapades, he realized. There seemed to be a shadow hanging over her, which was highly unusual for the perky young girl, who rarely let anything bring her down. She was talking again, which was at least a sign that she was feeling better.

She leaned in a little closer, pressing her body against his for what scant warmth they could share between them in the freezing rain that deluged the parched desert sands surrounding Midgar. The feeling was not unpleasant, and he found himself sneaking another glance at his passenger as she rested her head on his shoulder, no doubt exhausted from wandering out in the wilderness.

It was well past midnight when they pulled up to the old slum church at the outskirts of the city. "Come on," Cloud said. "We can take shelter here."

Yuffie looked up at the crumbling edifice. The aspect of the church was quite different in the pitch-black night. The place seemed almost foreboding, surrounded as it was by barren trees casting strange shadows, and water pouring down in thick rills from the mouths of the gargoyles perched atop the sides of its roof. The inside, similarly, was dusky and far less inviting than it was in the daylight. Still, it was preferable to staying outside. Setting aside her hesitation, she followed Cloud inside the building.

The inside of the church wasn't much warmer than the outside, but they were out of the rain, at least. Even though they were no longer being pelted by the storm, they could still hear the patter of raindrops beating against the windows. There was also the hole in the church's ceiling, which permitted wind and rain alike through, falling inside just out of reach of the evergreen flower patch in its centre.

Cloud set his equipment down, and started rifling through some old boxes in the corner of the building. His old supplies from the time he had been stricken with Geostigma and taken refuge in this place. "Here," he said, handing Yuffie a dry towel.

"Thanks," she replied, using the small towel to dry herself off.

"I think I've got some rations here," Cloud said, taking another look through his supplies. "Nothing fancy, but it beats sleeping on an empty stomach."

"Just like old times, huh?" Yuffie replied as he handed her a tin of canned meat. It wasn't gourmet food, that much was certain. But they were both used to such concessions from their days on the road. It almost inspired a twinge of nostalgia in her as they built a small fire and started cooking up the leftover rations.

The fire was barely enough to allow them to cook their food and steal the slightest bit of warmth from it. Cloud didn't want to risk building a larger one, he explained, in case it got out of control. There was also the concern of creating too much smoke, which would all but make their shelter uninhabitable. As it was, the tiny fire gave off only the faintest light in the gloom of the church, painting even deeper shadows into its corners.

They didn't speak much during their humble meal, both being too hungry to make any attempts at small talk. It was only when they were finished that they resumed their conversation.

"You didn't bring anything with you?" Cloud asked, noticing Yuffie's lack of equipment.

"Just the clothes on my back," Yuffie replied. "I kind of left in a hurry, if you couldn't tell."

"Right.." Cloud said. "So, what gives?"

Yuffie shrugged. "Like I said, I didn't have time to pack."

"I mean, why did you run off this time?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie looked away, sighing. It couldn't be avoided any longer. It was time for her to reveal the true reason for her being out here. She owed Cloud that much. "It's my dad.."

"So, what else is new?" Cloud replied.

"It's not like always," Yuffie said. "I mean, yeah, we fight all the time, and it usually ends with me storming off somewhere, but.."

"Not this time, I take it?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie bit her lip. "I don't know what's gotten into him. It's like he's getting paranoid in his old age, or something."

"What do you mean?" Cloud asked, puzzled.

"He keeps going on about.." Yuffie started, then trailed off.

"What?" Cloud prompted.

"It's nothing," Yuffie said, shaking her head slowly, gazing into the small fire. "It's ridiculous.."

Cloud looked at the young ninja, waiting for her to continue.

"He's getting worse, somehow, ranting and raving and.."

She paused, letting out another ragged sigh. "We had a fight. Much worse than usual. It... didn't end well."

"A fight?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie nodded. "It started with words, and then.."

"What happened?"

Yuffie looked away again, her expression all but impossible to read.

"He hurt you?" Cloud asked.

Arguing with Godo Kisaragi could be hazardous to one's health. He knew that from experience. But for him and his daughter to part in such an acrimonious manner was unheard of. Yuffie's father had always struck Cloud as a stern man, but not violent or capricious. But if his mental state was truly unraveling, then..

It was only then that he noticed the bandages, the lowest part of them just barely visible underneath her purple tank top.

"Let me see that," he said, moving up closer to her.

"It's nothing," Yuffie said, turning away from him.

"It's not nothing," Cloud said, growing more insistent. "Let me see."

Without further argument, she lifted up the lowest part of her tank top, just enough to expose the full length of the bandages. The bandages, he saw, covered up a gash, a fairly serious one, at that. The centre of the bandages was stained dark red, and there was a trickle of blood seeping out from underneath them.

"It's opening up again," Cloud said, examining the wound. "Hold on. I think I have something to patch that up with."

He departed for a moment, digging up a few more items from his supplies, then brought them back over to the fire. "Keep still," he said as he redressed the bandages. Yuffie shuddered, grimacing as he applied disinfectant to the wound, removing the old bandages and replacing them with new ones. She looked away the whole time, her face turning red as she did, perhaps out of embarrassment. He knew she hated to reveal anything that could be construed as weakness, regardless of the circumstances. That wasn't what was on his mind, however. He was concerned only with her well-being.

The work only took a couple of minutes. He'd had plenty of experience with mending wounds, as did the rest of Avalanche. They were all by now well acquainted with dealing with injuries of all levels of severity, and with good reason.

"Thanks," Yuffie said, pulling her tank top back down over the bandages.

"Don't mention it," Cloud replied, setting his medical supplies aside. "Are you going to be okay?"

"You don't have to baby me," Yuffie said. "I'll be fine."

"What will you do now?" Cloud asked, sitting down next to her again.

Yuffie shrugged. "Don't know. It looks like I'm not going back home for a while."

"For how long?" Cloud asked.

"Like, ever," Yuffie said.

"It's that serious?" Cloud asked.

She nodded, but said nothing further. He wondered what it was that had prompted her departure from her homeland this time. Though she had afforded him something of an explanation, it was still a rather vague one. Her reasons for leaving Wutai were rarely anything more serious than the usual bickering with her father and his array of ministers over things like propriety and tradition. They argued, she left, came back home, they argued some more, scrapped, then made up. It was almost routine by now. This time was different, though. That much was obvious. Whether she was still angry with her father, or pitied him, he couldn't tell. Probably both. In any case, it was clear that returning to Wutai was not an option for her.

"Okay, then," Cloud said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Like I said, we'll figure things out. Just need to weather this storm, first."

"So... why are we here, anyway?" Yuffie asked, looking about the abandoned church. "Why don't we just go to the Seventh Heaven?"

"There is no Seventh Heaven," Cloud replied. "Not anymore."

"Why?" Yuffie asked. "What happened?"

"Closed down," Cloud replied. "Tifa sold the place and moved to Kalm a few weeks back."

"The kids?" Yuffie asked.

"Marlene's back with Barret," Cloud said. "As for Denzel, he was taken in by his aunt and uncle. I know she didn't like living in Midgar by herself, and with me being on the road all the time, I guess she just didn't see much reason to stay. So she left."

"I'm sorry," Yuffie said.

"Don't be," Cloud said. "I brought this on myself. Wasn't really thinking. I should have known better."

"Well, it's easy to be wise after the fact," Yuffie said.

"True," Cloud replied.

"So, where have you been staying?" Yuffie asked.

"Here and there," Cloud said. "Tents. Motels. Doing odd jobs. Just been on the road a lot, lately."

"So... you don't have anywhere to go, either, huh?" Yuffie asked. "No home?"

"Not really," Cloud said.

They sat together in silence for a while. Lightning crackled again, illuminating the gloom of the old church for a split-second, the ghostly light followed by the rumble of distant thunder. Given the somber scene, he was surprised when she started laughing, out of the blue.

Cloud, failing to see anything particularly amusing about their situation, gave Yuffie an odd look. "What's so funny?"

"'It was a dark and stormy night..'" Yuffie intoned, with the appropriate level of gravitas.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "..Shut up."

Yuffie grinned. "Come on, Spikes," she said, giving his shoulder a playful shove. "Lighten up."

"Do I have to?" Cloud replied.

"No," Yuffie replied, still grinning. "You can be your old, grumpy self if you like."

Despite his attempt to keep his composure, he couldn't help but smile as well. She was right. It was almost funny, in a way. Rank, royalty, stature. Whatever they had once been, it all seemed irrelevant now. Right now, they were simply two strays caught in the tempest. He wondered how they had ended up here. You saved the world, or at least had a hand in its continued survival, you expected some kind of compensation. Remission, at least. But there had been no big, happy ending. No sense of closure. In the end, they had all simply drifted apart, dispersing as gradually as the group had first coalesced.

"But really, isn't that how all these stories start?" Yuffie said.

"What kind of story are we talking about?" Cloud asked, growing amused by the unexpected tangent that their conversation was going on.

"Well, I think we've already seen the horror story," Yuffie said. "I mean, Jenova, and all that.."

"Don't remind me," Cloud said. The less time spent dwelling on that eldritch horror, he thought, the better. Jenova had done its damnedest to ensure that none of them would see tomorrow, and that was when it wasn't trying to poison one's mind and make one do things not of one's own volition. He put such thoughts out of his mind, focusing on the present again.

"Not much action as of late, either," he pointed out.

"No, I guess not," Yuffie said. "At least, not since Deepground. So... slapstick comedy?"

"That'd be a welcome change of pace," Cloud said.

"No doubt," Yuffie replied, giggling.

They talked on for a while about nothing in particular, certainly nothing serious, as they passed the time together, waiting out the storm. He had forgotten what good company she could be when she wasn't up to her usual mischief, and it had been some time since he had enjoyed anyone's company in this manner. Aside from the occasional reunion or run-ins with enemies like Kadaj's gang or the Deepground organization, the various members of Avalanche hadn't met much since the group's dispersal after the Meteor crisis.

"So... where are the others hanging around these days, anyway?" Yuffie asked. "Have you heard anything from them?"

"Not much," Cloud said. "Reeve's still operating GRO, from what I hear. As for Vincent, I have no idea where he is. Last time I saw him, he said something about 'unfinished business'."

"Sounds like Vincent," Yuffie said.

"And Cid's back in Rocket Town," Cloud continued. "Amassing an airfleet, I think."

"There's a surprise."

"That's about it," Cloud said, shrugging. "Can't say I've really kept in touch. How about you? Heard anything?"

"Barret moved back west," Yuffie said. "I almost ran into him while I was... uh, _borrowing_ some supplies on my way here."

"Right," Cloud said.

"As for Red, I think he said something about expanding his observatory in Cosmo Canyon," Yuffie said. "I guess that about covers it."

Cloud nodded. "Sounds like everyone's moved on."

"Except you," Yuffie said.

"Yeah, well... that's the problem with not having any plans for the future," Cloud said.

"You weren't planning on getting yourself killed, were you?" Yuffie asked, concerned.

"No," Cloud said. "I just wasn't betting on us making it through it all in one piece, you know?"

Yuffie nodded. She understood what he meant. It was still hard to believe some of the things they had lived through and witnessed these past three years.

Another roll of thunder caused both of them to glance upwards. "Doesn't look like it's going to let up any time soon," Cloud said.

"Yeah," Yuffie replied. "I guess we're stuck here."

"You should get some rest," Cloud said. Getting up, he dug through his supplies once more, bringing with him a small cot and a bedroll. "Here," he said, handing them over to her.

"Where's yours?" Yuffie asked.

"I've only got the one," Cloud said.

"But.." Yuffie started, looking up at him.

"It's yours," Cloud said, cutting off any further protest. "I'll sleep over there," he added, gesturing towards one of the wooden benches at the far end of the room.

With reluctance, she accepted the cot, laying it out next to the flower bed, before turning in, drawing the thin blanket over herself to ward off the cold. After a few moments, the cot began to grow warm, and she was able to more easily relax. Despite the relative comfort that the bedding afforded her, however, she found it difficult to fall asleep. She sat up, looking over at where Cloud lay on the hard bench, not far from her.

"Cloud?" she asked, unable to tell whether he was asleep or not.

"Yeah?" came the husky reply.

There was a slight pause. She had meant to say something to him, but now that she had spoken up, she wasn't sure what it was she wanted to say. In the end, she settled upon the two words she deemed most appropriate.

"Good night."

"'night," Cloud replied, turning over.

She lay back down as well, watching the hypnotic effect of the flowers swaying in the wind mere inches from her face. Tired as she was, she expected to drift right off to sleep. But sleep would not come to either of them that night.

* * *

**Author's notes**

Well, that's the second update, er... up. Bear in mind that this is still technically chapter 1, by the way. I may edit these parts together later, but for now, this format makes it easier for me to make small updates and keep the story alive.

Also, this part of the story servers as a prologue of sorts. There is more of a Plot coming later, but that's still a couple of chapters away. The necessary groundwork has to be laid first. However, I'll be extremely busy these next few days, so further updates are unlikely until some time after Christmas. On that note, happy holidays to you all. Cheers, and thanks for reading.


	3. Closure, part 3

Yuffie looked down the forest path, scattered leaves gilded by the early morning light filtering through the deciduous trees surrounding it on either side. A faint but pleasant scent of pine and birchwood was carried on the warm breeze, and the only sign of life throughout the whole glade was the distant birdsong in the air above her. She could scarcely conceive of a more tranquil and idyllic scene, and yet she could not help a sense of foreboding, one that was completely at odds with her peaceful surroundings.

She felt disembodied, unable to move or turn. All she could do was stare down the straight path, all the way to its terminus, made almost perfectly opaque by its sheer brightness. It was not long before she could see someone coming down the path towards her. Even from afar, there was no mistaking her departed friend. The braided, chestnut hair, pink dress and red jacket which seemed so idiosyncratic to the Last Cetra as she had known her throughout their short time together left her in little doubt as to her visitor's identity.

She watched as her old friend made her way down the road, walking towards her with an airy step and a bright smile on her face. Before she could reach her, however, a voice, no louder than a whisper, yet piercing enough to fill the air, spoke to her.

_"When it's all over.."_

She woke up with a start, heart pounding in her chest as the veil of her dream was withdrawn, breathing a sigh of relief as she took in her surroundings. The old church, where she and Cloud had taken refuge from the storm. Nothing had changed, as far as she could tell. The icy rain was still coming down in torrents, though the thunder and lightning seemed to be growing more distant. She had no idea how long she had slept, or what time it was. All she could tell for certain was that it was still pitch-black outside, and the storm still showed no sign of abating.

She lay back down on her cot, staring up at the marble ceiling. Her dream, however brief it had been, had left her in a cold sweat, and with a vague feeling of unease. The feeling soon subsided, but she was left puzzling over her own reaction to seeing her lost friend return to the world of the living. The feeling had been one of dread, rather than joy, which struck her as odd, to say the least. Along with Tifa, Aerith had been one of her closest companions, and had shown her nothing but kindness and understanding, even when she had put her comrades' patience to the test, especially during her short-sighted betrayal of the group. Being that was the case, why should she have any reason to feel enmity for her departed friend?

And yet, the strange thing was that she hadn't wanted her to come back. That was her dominant feeling during the dream. Apprehension. As though her friend's return heralded some calamity, both collective and personal. As though she were there to snatch something away from her. Something cherished. Try as she might, she couldn't think of why on earth that would be the case, but the unwelcome impression remained, as much as she tried to dismiss it.

_"It's not like I'll be seeing her again. And even if I did, why would I _not_ want her back? What the hell is wrong with me?"_

Perhaps, she thought, it was merely her surroundings playing tricks on her mind. A part of her felt as though she were trespassing on hallowed ground. Maybe that was it.

She turned on her side again, drawing the covers over her head, doing her best to put these thoughts out of her mind, but further sleep eluded her.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Apologies for the terse update. I haven't much time to indulge in writing recently and, as I mentioned before, this story is something of an experiment vis-à-vis a practical trade-off in that regard: Smaller portions, more frequent updates. As such, it might be a little rough around the edges. I'll do my best to stamp out any egregious errors along the way, but it's more likely that I'll do a second draft once the story is finished, and take care of any problems requiring major revisions then. The last part of this chapter should be up soon (we're still in chapter one, remember). I also intend to edit these parts together into longer, more cohesive chapters once the whole thing is done, but that's a matter for another time.

'till the next update.


End file.
